To Nyx's surprise, not only did Caelia come with him, but even Avelyne.
When he asked her why she came with them, she just shrugged and said, with a clear smirk on her face, that she just wanted to make sure everything went smoothly.
She might have told him the truth, but Nyx had the feeling she definitely didn't mean the inheritance.
The smirk and the playful sparkles in her eyes told him enough about her schemes.
Nyx had been rather silent since they left the estate, looking out of the window, appreciating the view.
When they came back from the auction, he hadn't paid much attention to the outside world.
It seemed the estate was a bit more secluded within the noble district of the city.
After around an hour, he was finally able to spot some other mansions.
But if he had to compare them to Caelia's—they looked more like one-room apartments or those small barracks in the outskirts of Eurasis, the city he had lived in on Earth.
"Lived in" was a strong word though—maybe "struggled to survive in" matched it better.
He noticed that no matter where they passed by, people bowed to them, carriages stopped on their way to let them pass first. It felt a bit strange—no one had ever bowed to him.
Soon they left the noble district behind and entered the market. The reaction here was different, but not less spectacular. No. If anything, it was much more overwhelming—profound, even.
As if the king himself was riding through the streets.
Compared to the stares of his family and the people of Eurasis, Nyx felt like a god—worshipped by pitiful mortals.
With this sight in front of him, Nyx couldn't wait any longer. His gaze left the streets outside and turned to face Caelia, who had taken the seat opposite him.
His eyes met hers. A moment of silence before a knowing smile formed on her lips. She could hear his questions through his eyes; he didn't need to give them any sound.
Words were spoken in absolute silence, but Nyx was left without an answer.
Disappointed, his shoulders sank and he turned his head to look outside again.
But the moment his eyes were about to leave hers, Caelia cleared her throat.
"I am not part of the royal family."
Nyx leaned back in his seat, his attention now focused on Caelia. He raised an eyebrow, clearly not believing her.
"Then how do you explain this?"
He pointed out of the window, at the crowd who had gathered along the marketplace, clearing the path for them and cheering as if to greet their beloved princess.
Caelia chuckled lightly, waving her hand dismissively.
"Just ignore them."
As if this was the moment Avelyne had waited for, she raised her voice full of excitement, clinging to Nyx's arm.
"How could you just leave him in the dark about such an important topic? Doesn't he deserve to know who bought him?"
Her voice was full of mockery, and her mischievous smile was impossible to ignore.
But Caelia didn't notice any of that—the words alone had far too much impact on her. Her gaze dropped on her lap.
Touching her hair, she almost whispered.
"Is it that important? Can't we just, you know…"
Avelyne's shoulders started to tremble, her hands clutched tightly on her stomach, trying to suppress her laugh as much as possible. But it didn't take long until she couldn't hold it in any longer.
Her whole body shook and her laughter filled the carriage.
Realizing that Avelyne had just teased her and knew full well why she didn't want to tell Nyx about it, Caelia gave her an angry gaze before she quickly averted her eyes, staring stubbornly out of the window, ignoring them both.
The whole exchange was just too cute and funny. It looked like a mother or big sister toying with her daughter or little sister.
With Caelia's refusal to partake in any more conversation and Avelyne's fading laugh, silence returned to the carriage. It wasn't awkward though—it was more of a comfortable, warm silence.
They arrived at the gates and left the city. Nyx thought that the guards would check on them, but it seemed Caelia's and Avelyne's influence was enough to skip such procedure. Which he should have suspected already; the crowd at the market had been evidence enough.
Now, without the protection of the city walls, the air became a bit more serious.
But they still had their knights tightly around the carriages. Nyx was pretty sure that with their protection he was safer outside the walls than inside.
Still, the wilderness was unpredictable. So they had to move carefully.
They moved east. The sun was already high when the carriage stopped. One of the knights knocked against the window. Caelia opened it and signaled him to speak with a move of her hand.
"Someone is following us."
Caelia nodded and touched her chin, deep in thought.
"Let's continue our way. Be alert for now, but don't act just yet."
The knight bowed and returned to his position.
Before anyone could speak up, Avelyne voiced her thoughts.
"If we slow down a bit, we would be able to arrive at the forest by sunset."
Caelia leaned forward.
"So you suggest laying an ambush."
Avelyne nodded.
"Yes. It will be either them or us, and I would prefer to give the surprise, not receive it."
Leaning back in her seat, Caelia's hand returned to her chin.
Nyx had to admit he was surprised by the turn of events. Who in their right mind would openly act against a duchess—and whoever Caelia was?
Caelia agreed to Avelyne's plan and gave instructions to the knights.
They would act as if they hadn't noticed anything and let some of the knights spread out the moment they entered the forest.
'Just how many knights did they take with us.'
Nyx couldn't help but wonder.
When the sun hit the ground, they arrived at the forest. Some of the knights who had been hidden in one of the carriages left.
Nyx had been told about their plan and could see in the darkness, but even then he barely noticed them leaving. It made him wonder if those were really knights or assassins, maybe one of them had a vestige that managed to hide their departure.
Their carriages slowed down until they came to a stop. They prepared a fire and set up tents, luring the pursuer into their ranks.
The crackle of the fire split the silence, flames licking at the cold night air, casting deep shadows between the trees.
It was as if the shadows danced—and beyond their reach, the faint sound of footsteps echoed.